Serafimovich Alexander Serafimovich: biography, creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Serafimovich Alexander Serafimovich is a representative of the so-called proletarian literature. The work of this writer is consonant with the literary activity of Maxim Gorky. His early stories were influenced by the revolutionary movements of the second half of the nineteenth century. And throughout his career, he remained true to his views and beliefs. What is the main idea of the works created by Alexander Serafimovich? What is the value of his literary work?

Youth

The real name of the writer in question in this article is Popov. But in his literary activity he used the pseudonym Serafimovich. The development of his literary views took place in a rather difficult period in the history of Russia. Public life in the country in the second half of the nineteenth centurycharacterized by an active revolutionary movement. In particular, such sentiments were manifested among the representatives of the younger generation, namely students.

Serafimovich Alexander Serafimovich came from a Cossack family. As a child, he spent several years in Poland with his parents. But when the family returned to their native lands, the future writer received a gymnasium education, after which he entered St. Petersburg University at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. Here Alexander Serafimovich found himself in a student society, in which revolutionary ideas were gaining momentum. The Marxist doctrine instantly captured the son of the Don Cossack. But the student was by no means limited to theoretical knowledge. Soon he struck up an acquaintance with Lenin's older brother, Alexander Ulyanov. And for participation in the assassination attempt on the king, he was arrested and exiled to the Arkhangelsk province. Life in these parts had a decisive influence on the entire creative path of the writer.

Main ideas of the pieces

The active social life that Alexander Serafimovich led in his student years laid the foundation for his literary work. The folk theme became the main theme in his works. Undoubtedly, his ideas were directed towards Marxist and social democratic ideas.

The life of the common people at the end of the century was extremely difficult. Supporters of the idea of the need for a coup d'état believed that all evil comes from the foundations of the tsarist regime. Thoughts on how to improve the life of workers in Russia occupied the novice writer more and more. The material for the early works of Serafimovich was the life of simpleworkers. And already at the beginning of his career, such writers as V. Korolenko, G. Uspensky spoke very favorably about his books.

Early creativity

In the nineties, the main theme in the works of Serafimovich was the life of the representatives of the working class. Miners, railway employees, blast furnace workers, and peasants became the heroes of his books. In his works, Alexander Serafimovich sought to show not only their way of life, but also their inner world. First of all, the writer was interested in what a simple worker thinks about.

But a specific feature of Serafimovich's literary idea was the conviction that hard work does not so much tire a person physically as kill social activity in him. Therefore, he saw not only the causes of hard labor, but also its consequences. At the same time, in the early works of this writer there is faith in the strength of the people. He did not consider the indifference of the workers to their own destiny unchanged and immutable. So, in "The Coupler" Serafimovich depicted the first shoots of protest, which seemed to be found among the most backward social strata.

The writer's worldview finally took shape during his stay in exile. It was there that he witnessed the working life of ordinary people and convicts.

In exile

In the harsh North, Alexander Popov, whose biography was formed under the influence of historical and social events in Russia, made acquaintance with one of the foremost workers. Behind the backthis man had experience in the revolutionary struggle, as a result of which he ended up in exile. Aesthetic outlook and literary orientation was primarily influenced by close communication with such people.

Alexander Popov, whose biography began in the Don open spaces, learned in exile about the fate of ordinary people living in the North. Here he opened a new, unknown world. The writer listened with interest to the stories of local residents. The Pomors supported their families by fishing. Their work was hard and dangerous. Often people died at sea. They often returned home empty-handed. If the fishing was successful, an impressive part should have been given to we althy peasants who supplied the fishermen with tackle.

Landscape in the works of Serafimovich

The writer was fascinated by the beautiful but harsh northern nature. The description of the landscape occupied an important place in his work. This feature can be found in the story "On the ice floe." In this work, he described the peculiar nature and life of the North. But he did not forget his southern native lands. He reflected them no less picturesquely in later stories.

The description of nature in the work "On the ice floe" has a symbolic character. The author seems to draw a parallel between the cold northern weather, ice landscapes, short cold days and the life of local residents. The image of nature helps the reader to feel more clearly the difficult conditions in which the workers find themselves. Man is just as defenseless against nature as he is against social oppression. Serafimovich is a writer in whose work the main idea isinequality. The story "On the Ice" is a kind of indictment against the social forces that led the protagonist to death.

On the rafts

In the work “On the ice floe”, the author contrasted the poor man with Magpie Kulak. In the story "On the Rafts" the social drama of the worker is presented in a more complex form. The protagonist of this work is the raftsman Kuzma. He earns his living alone. Every day he is in dangerous unbearable conditions, but his work is fruitless. In a society where it is customary to appropriate the results of someone else's work, social disunity is fatal.

“On the Rafts” and “On the Ice Floe” are the stories with which Serafimovich began his series of works on social inequality. Later, the essay became the main genre in his work. "Snowy Desert" is, perhaps, an intermediate link between these literary forms. Serafimovich narrates in this work in the first person. From the first pages, the reader gets the impression that in it the writer describes his own experiences. In part, it is. The narrator reflected in this work the feelings and thoughts that visited him in the first days of his stay in the North.

After link

Alexander Serafimovich (Popov) spent just over a year in the Arkhangelsk province. After the exile, he settled in the village of Ust-Medveditskaya, where he was constantly under police supervision. Despite this, he led an active literary and social activity here. The circle he organized was intendedto discuss important cultural events. However, from the first days of the organization's existence, its members vehemently argued on political topics.

In his native land, Serafimovich quickly found like-minded people. Over time, the illegal distribution of Marxist literature became an important part of his activities. And it was during this period that a significant shift took place in the writer's activity.

Feature of creativity

Soviet literature at an early stage was represented by a number of revolutionary-minded authors. The name of Alexander Serafimovich stands out among them. At the time of the birth of the new state, this writer became a fully mature author with an established strong social position. He did not adapt to the new social order. Already at the beginning of the twentieth century, he actively began to write about the life of Donetsk miners and factory workers. In his work, the view of an independent independent artist develops. Soviet literature in the post-war years includes a few authors who are characterized by a peculiar vision of life. In the works of Alexander Serafimovich there are original literary expressions. This writer became a kind of researcher of the life of the working class. Creativity Serafimovich in this sense is unique.

Drop

Serafimovich's early stories are imbued with realism. These are works dedicated to the life of the inhabitants of the North. Realism is also present in the stories about the Donetsk miners. Revolutionary romance came later. So, in the story "Drop" there is epic, allegory and faiththe author that ordinary people can be saved by a commonality of views and work aimed at achieving revolutionary goals.

The symbolism in this work is quite simple. There is a huge rock, and one single drop cannot destroy it. She falls on a stone stronghold and dies instantly. But only hundreds, thousands of drops can make a hole in this rock.

The story is divided into three parts. Each of them is a revolutionary movement that took place in different years. The first one was destroyed. The second gave some results. The writer pins hope on the third revolutionary movement. That it is capable, in his opinion, to break through the stronghold of the tsarist regime.

In Moscow

Romantic ideas present in Serafimovich's work are close to Gorky's literary style. And therefore, perhaps, after moving to Moscow, the Don writer very quickly draws closer to the great proletarian writer. Both Serafimovich and Gorky are characterized by faith in the extraordinary strength of man. The tireless struggle of a simple worker, despite centuries of slavery, capable of leading to the final victory of the working class.

Later, Maxim Gorky creates the Znanie publishing house, where Serafimovich is attracted in the first place. The revolutionary events of 1905 are taking place before our eyes, and even with some participation of a native of the Don steppes. At this time, he rents an apartment on Presnya and helps workers build barricades.

After 1905

The historical events that Serafimovich observed were reflected in his work. ATSince then, pathos and enthusiasm have appeared in the works of this writer. The workers, stupefied by drunkenness and hopeless empty existence, gave way in his stories to revolutionary heroes. In this spirit, a collection of stories "Lost Lights" was created.

Alexander Serafimovich devoted more than half a century to literary activity. During World War II, he became a war correspondent, but did not stop writing stories and essays. The main work of Serafimovich is the story "Iron Stream". In this work, the writer reflected the events of the Civil War.

Memory

Alexander Serafimovich was awarded many awards. Streets in Moscow, Kazan and Minsk are named after him. In the Volgograd region, a city was named after the writer, in which a literary museum was opened after his death. In the village of Ust-Medveditskaya in the eighties, a house-museum was opened. And in Volgograd itself, a monument to Serafimovich was erected.

The writer passed away in 1949 in Moscow. Buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.